


Whispers

by BigMammaLlama5



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alcohol, Blood, F/F, Language, Sanvers - Freeform, Sex, SuperCorp, TWO BAGELS, established and in the background, find the stereotypical fic line and take a shot, flying bicycle, if it helps read this as if its in season 2 because i forgot about sam, its a oneshot so sex obviously, lucy is back dont @ me, mild violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-07
Updated: 2018-02-07
Packaged: 2019-03-14 22:19:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13599591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BigMammaLlama5/pseuds/BigMammaLlama5
Summary: Sometimes Kara's super hearing isn't all it's cracked up to be. Most of the time.





	Whispers

**Whispers**

 

The end of February was chilly enough that Kara almost wished she needed a scarf to wear while she went out on night patrol. Winter had been more rain than anything and the dreariness was starting to finally get to her. Alex had likened her to a wilting plant when she was found basking under the sunlamp the week before. But in all it had been a fairly productive time during those chillier months.

Mon-El had finally started buckling down after she sucker-punched him. It was his own fault for catching her off guard with a kiss over the holidays, so that was one less thing for her to worry about. It was easier to split her time now between his (reasonably determined) training, her two ridiculous jobs, being there for Alex and Maggie, having regular game nights with Winn and James and Lucy, and also continuing to grow her rock-solid friendship with Lena Luthor. She had slowly been moving up in CatCo as well, which gave her a sense of accomplishment she couldn’t get with Supergirl. Snapper had been pushing her hard and even though Kara slept a few hours less each week her articles improved. Kara powered through it with a renewed vigor that she could have a normal and somewhat boring-if still high stress life-outside of scissor kicking rogue alien criminals. His gruff harrumphs of approval were the rare light in the dark during the frantic rush to meet deadlines. When she couldn’t barf rainbows about it to Alex, Lena got the brunt of it-though she made sure to preface their hangouts by opening a gifted bottle of Cabernet.

Kara could still taste the dry tannins on the back of her tongue as she sedately floated over downtown National City with an ear listening to the late nightlife below. She and Lena had enjoyed terrible take out earlier in the CEO’s office when it became clear she was going to be too slammed with work to make it out to their scheduled dinner. L-Corp was running hot again and the stocks and investors were back on the upswing, but that unfortunately meant long workdays for Lena to stay ahead of the curve. Kara missed her more than she had originally thought, and it made those rare late dinners or horrendously early coffee meet ups all the more precious. Her favorite part was when they met in a tight hug that had the power to help lift some of the stress off their shoulders.

“ _Alright, Maverick.”_ Kara nearly jumped out of her skin when Winn’s voice crackled in over her earpiece. “ _Looks like you can call it an early night.”_

She felt a grin pull at her mouth. “Acknowledged. One-thirty isn’t really early.”

_“Some of us like to live with a half-full glass. You should try it some time. In fact-”_

_“Quit clogging up the radio, Goose.”_ Came from another channel, and Kara recognized it as James. Kara had almost forgotten he had been out as Guardian that night. He had a habit of near radio silence and said he preferred to be stealthy. Or as Winn liked to call him, the Tin Can Ninja.

“Simmer down, boys. Winn, I’m on my way in.” She teased, but began a wide arcing circle to head back to the DEO.

Kara was nearly out of the city center when she heard it.

_“Supergirl-“_

It was barely a whisper, but it tolled like a bell. Kara balked and came to a stop, her ears straining to listen for it again. It hadn’t been in distress or in anger. She didn’t couldn’t really place the tone behind it. Goosebumps crawled up her spine as the sounds of the world fell away around her and Kara imagined she was floating in a cotton ball of noise. She closed her eyes.

Her heart thudded in her chest.

Kara inhaled deeply, the stretch and pull of the muscles around her lungs making way for air.

She held her breath.

.

.

.

“ _-upergirl…”_

Kara’s eyes flew open. She knew that voice. A thrill of apprehension sank in under her ribs and she slowly turned her head down to the building slightly off to her left. It was a high-end apartment building she was very well acquainted with, and her nerves started to ramp up. After swallowing down her creeping anxiety, Kara shifted in midair until she was just above the roof of Lena’s apartment.

Was something wrong?

Kara focused her hearing beneath her and was met with a rapid heartbeat. She chewed on her lip for a moment and figuring a quick peek wouldn’t hurt, felt her vision slip and pierce through the layers of steel and concrete. She quickly made out Lena’s form, alone, still in her bed. Lena was dreaming. Tension bled out of Kara’s shoulders and she reeled her vision back in with a relieved sigh. She continued to listen for just a moment longer, then jumped when her friend suddenly jolted awake. Kara wished she could go to her, to ease her mind and try to help her get past the dream that had disturbed her. She knew the young CEO had terrible nightmares pretty frequently and it hurt that she couldn’t be there for her. Kara had noticed that evening that the makeup under her eyes was a little heavier than normal, indicating a lot of sleepless nights.

Kara nearly jumped out of her skin a second time when a curious click came in over her earpiece. She cleared her throat and depressed the transmission behind her ear.

“Thought I heard something. False alarm.”

James’s deep voice rumbled out a low _“Ten-Four.”_ and the radio fell silent again.

Kara eyed the building below her and just as she was about to leave, a low light switched on inside. Feeling a little nosy and a little worried, she focused her hearing in again and listened to Lena climb out of her bed and pad through her apartment and into the kitchen. Kara pieced the familiar clanks together and figured it must have been a rough dream if she was making a quick mug of tea, one that would surely have a healthy splash of rum. Feeling drawn to Lena, Kara stayed put until her friend had finished her drink and returned to bed. She hoped her friend would be able to sleep better soon.

 

* * *

  

Spring was in full swing a few weeks later and Kara found herself in a black town car with James, as representatives of CatCo to a pseudo black tie event at one of the more expensive dance clubs. The event was being hosted by L-Corp in partner with two other major tech companies, both with headquarters in National City. Kara wasn’t exactly sure why it was being held, but Lena had skirted around the details saying that if everyone could play nice in a club then they could play nice in a boardroom. Some kind of social event meant to introduce the employees to each other in a more relaxed atmosphere. Kara had asked why they hadn’t just rented out the convention center, but Lena had shrugged and said she didn’t have a hand in the planning.

The car pulled up to the curb about thirty yards away from the club entrance, but Kara could already feel the pulsing bass beats in her bones. James peeked over at her and quirked his crooked smile while he adjusted the open collar on his black button up. The vibrant blue neon lights on the face of the sleek building cut into the car and highlighted the pearlescent sheen of the fabric.

“Ready or not, here goes nothing.”

His hand pried the door open and he unfolded his tall frame out onto the sidewalk. The sound of the bass increased four-fold and Kara had to take a few seconds to reel her powers back in to protect her senses. Tonight was going to be a test of control, if anything, and one she wasn’t too keen to do after her crazy week. James leaned back down and extended his hand, which she gladly took. He pulled her to her feet and shut the car door behind her, giving the roof a few slaps as Kara straightened her knee-length dress out. Their town car peeled away from the curb and the pair strode side by side up to the entrance, past a couple groups of event attendees chatting or taking a smoke break. Kara tried not to wrinkle her nose at the sharp bite of alcohol and too much perfume and chose to focus on her and James’s steady footfalls on the concrete. She was glad that he had chosen her to accompany him to the event, even if the high-octane atmosphere was making her jittery.

Kara forced her shoulders to relax and tucked her small clutch into her elbow. Out of curiosity she looked up at the building and peered over the top of her glasses. A single word sculpted in dynamic neon blue letters read _SURGE_ with three spaced “S” swoops following it. According to Lena, this place was one of _the_ places to go in National City for the nightlife. Granted you had the cash and social status. A movie night in with greasy pizza or authentic Chinese from the mom and pop on the corner was much more her speed, though she didn’t mind it _too_ much when Lena pulled her out to go dancing on the rare weekend night.

Before she knew it, they were at the blue velvet rope, flashing their IDs to the pair of stony-faced bouncers. After checking their names against a stack of papers on a plastic clipboard, one of them lifted the rope and mechanically wished them a fun time inside. As soon as they stepped in through the small dim entrance hall and into the actual club, Kara took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself. James looked around curiously and scanned the large crowd of obvious businessmen and women, who probably hadn’t been in a club in at least two decades. She squared her shoulders and ran her free hand through her loose hair.

“Let’s get a drink.”

James nodded and they slipped into the crowd.

The next hour and a half was taken up with networking and polite chat over the pulsing bass and high-hats of the club disco that make Kara’s chest vibrate. She had given out about half of her business cards, collected just as many, and was feeling pretty good about how the night was going. She had even connected with a representative from TIME Magazine who had figured out that she was the sole reporter in contact with Supergirl. Kara could feel her life was about to get more complicated in that regard, but further talks had been teased and honestly, she felt lighter than that one time she had walked on the moon. Her next personal mission was to locate Lena and congratulate her on a successful event so far. She had been looking for the CEO but Lena had remained elusive. Kara knew that she was probably off playing nice to the other directors and department heads, but to not see her at all was a little disconcerting. The only reason she knew her friend was, in fact, around, was that the representative from TIME had mentioned they had spoken earlier that evening.

“Busy night?”

Kara sucked in a startled gasp and found James at her elbow. She adjusted her glasses in habit and humbly shrugged her shoulders in confirmation.

“I’ve met some interesting people. I’m hoping to get some work connections out of a few of them.”

“Yeah I saw you chatting up Holden from TIME. She’s a classy woman! I think you’d get along well with her.”  He held up one of the vibrant drinks in his hands to her, his bright crooked smile flashing in the blue neon. “Cheers on moving up, Kara.”

Kara was accepting the fresh drink from James with a bubbly smile when she felt eyes on the back of her head. She listened to that wary pull at the base of her skull and nonchalantly shifted to face the dance floor. She sipped the sweet cocktail and scanned the mass of bodies in the neon lights as humanly-slow as possible, before shifting her gaze further and a little up towards the VIP deck. There, amongst men and women in very expensive tailored suits, was Lena Luthor. A simple black sleeveless dress hugged her form and flared out around her knees, with a neckline a little lower than business modest. It reminded Kara of one of the infamous Rosemary Clooney dresses from her favorite holiday movie. Her slender hands were cradling a low ball of ice and amber liquid, and her hair was pulled back in her usual severe bun.

What made Kara nearly choke on her own drink was the intensity of the green eyes that locked on her. Kara had seen similar blazes of focus in her eyes before, but they were always from different high stress situations and weren’t ever directly aimed at her. To have the full weight of one of those looks pinning her to the floor of the dance club was adrenaline inducing, and Kara was nervous that she had somehow offended her. What threw her the most was that it wasn’t a cold and calculating look. She didn’t know what it was. Either way, it made her skin crawl and she gulped down half her drink to give herself two seconds to stop and think.

Kara lifted the glass and toasted Lena with a small smile, hesitant to do much more.

Suddenly, the CEO blinked and whatever metaphorical weight had been trapping Kara lifted. She subtly raised her own glass and gave the friendly wink she favored Kara with before she turned back to the other guests.

Kara quietly exhaled a breath of air she didn’t know she had been holding and suddenly wished her drink was something stronger from M’gann’s bar. Lena hadn’t been _off_ lately, but it was still just a bit out of the ordinary. Kara made a mental note to keep her ear to the ground.

The entire exchange must have not lasted more than a few seconds because James was still rambling away at her side. Kara felt a little bad for zoning out on him, but was able to jump right back into the conversation. She’d mull over what had just happened later when she got home.

It was close to two in the morning that same night when another whisper snuck into her head. This time she knew it was Lena and Kara made a quick fly by to check on her again. It was more of a murmur this time. Just barely a decibel above a stage whisper. It was full of some kind of emotion she couldn’t pin point, but, she admitted to herself that she was curious. However, Kara was feeling a bit too sore from the wall she had been slammed through an hour before, and didn’t want to hang around for more than a moment.

Kara decided she would check in with Lena tomorrow and see if she could coerce her into a lunch at the new burger joint, and maybe use that excuse to check in on her. All she really wanted at that moment was a hot shower, a mug of hot chocolate, and to not think for a bit. Besides, it was way too late to even begin to name the weird feeling that curled deep in her chest, having stirred at the sound of that whisper. It had begun living in the small spaces around her heart in the past few weeks. Kara was too wary to address it and too busy to give it much thought. Though it did always seem to rear its head late at night. Maybe she’d go bother Alex about it at some point, but it was moments like that when she wished she didn’t have so many responsibilities. And could have a couple ounces of Aldebaran and a pizza or two before bed.

Maybe in another life.

Kara flew home and went promptly to bed, only bothering to remove her boots and cape.

 

* * *

 

Time passed slowly in National City over the next few weeks-or only so it seemed to Kara. The world almost seemed too slow for her. She got up, rushed through her morning routine, rushed to work, plugged through emails and interviews, broke three phones and seven keyboards, asked Alex a fourth time for a more sturdy keyboard from the DEO, wolfed down her lunch, continued to plow through assignments in the afternoon, tried to lead a social life around most evenings in the DEO, usually fell into bed about two or three in the morning, all while zipping around as needed as Supergirl and stamping down that confusing feeling in her belly.

However, Kara made time on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 7:15 to meet Lena for coffee and a Danish or six. Unfortunately, that was the best either one of them could do around their packed schedules, and Kara got out of bed each morning counting down the time to when she could see her best friend again. Each time they met up Kara would hug her a little bit tighter than the last time, genuinely happy to see the other woman. It wasn’t until Lena had to miss one of their Thursdays that Kara got a little too excited the following week and actually picked the CEO up in the middle of the crowded coffee shop. She had accidentally drawn some eyes and a sneaky camera or two but the light blush and exaggerated eye roll from Lena had made it worth it.

“What was that for?” She groused without malice and straightened out her skirt.

“I just missed you! We need to have a night out sometime soon. Maybe get the gang together?”

“I think I can pencil you in.” Lena teased, and turned to the barista behind the counter.

A sudden high-pitched whistle pierced into Kara’s ears and the acidic lump of adrenaline and dread surged into her chest when she recognized what it was.

_Stz-ftp._

Kara could only feel the cold clawing terror as a single oblong shell of obsidian metal sped through the large glass front of the shop. The white-hot panic didn’t kick in until she realized that something was off about it and it was already to them before she could reach up and snag it out of the air. Kara could only watched in horror as it sped between her and Lena and grazed the outside of her friend’s upper arm. The slug tore through the sleeve of dark jacket and scorched the fair freckled skin underneath. The force of the blow wrenched Lena off balance and she cried out in surprise and pain, falling hard into the counter. The world sped back up and Kara caught her about the middle before she hit the ground. She shielded her as two more terrible high-pitched zips tore into the counter right above them, composite wood exploding out into the coffee shop.

Kara could feel the vibrations of the other customers running and hiding. The crashing of glass hitting the floor was almost lost against the shrill terrified screams. An acrid unpleasant smell of burnt fabric and flesh from Lena’s arm made her wrinkle her nose and swallow against her gag reflex. Kara could feel her shaking in her arms and risked looking up at her surroundings for a split second. To her direct right was a small opening between the front counter and the work-stations and Kara didn’t hesitate to bodily drag Lena back behind them. She knew it wouldn’t protect them but hopefully it would keep them out of sight and line of fire.

“-Kara?”

The thin tight voice pierced through the chaos, and with as much effort as she could muster Kara reeled herself back in and focused on the woman in her arms. Lena’s face was pale and drawn, and to Kara’s horror, spattered in a dark red liquid. The bright green eyes were glassy and very obviously in shock.

“Kara, there’s blood on your face.”

The gears turned almost painfully in Kara’s head and with a sickening thought, “…the cashier.”

“Kara?”

“It’s okay. Just look at me. Don’t look around.” She forced her face into what she hoped was a reassuring smile, though she was sure it was probably a grimace. “Let me look at your arm.”

“It burns.”

Kara nodded and gingerly inspected the wound after gently prying Lena’s hand away. There was a little more blood than she was expecting, but the burns were a deep ugly red from where it had torn into her skin. There were bruises already forming around the wound. It looked as if someone had taken a spoon and tried to scoop out part of Lena’s arm. It probably wasn’t as bad as it looked, but the sight of it still tapped into that cold anger she worked so hard to keep at bay on her bad days.

“Okay. Well. Good news is that it just caught you, but you are bleeding a little. Let’s get something on it, ok?”

Kara moved to start rummaging for a fresh cloth, or at least a wad of napkins, but a slender bloody hand shot up and twisted into the pressed collar of her button up.

“No, please don’t. Stay here, I’ll be okay.”

“It’ll just take a second, I’m just going t-“

“ _Kara._ ”

The edge in Lena’s voice brought her up short and Kara realized how close to breaking she was. She relented and nodded jerkily, awkwardly shifting instead to cradle Lena’s upper body in her arms. There was no way Supergirl would be able to go after the attacker any time soon, so she hoped instead that the DEO was already in pursuit. Sirens began wailing in the distance and Kara bent and pressed a kiss to Lena’s hairline and left her mouth there, willing herself not to think about the fact that she had come very close to losing her. The hand in her collar twisted impossibly tighter and Kara wished she could calm the panicked thundering heart in Lena’s chest. She could feel her shoulders start to shake in an effort to hold back tears and Kara instinctively began to rock her.

Kara wished she could kick herself for not being fast enough. Never had a speeding bullet beaten her out of a race and the fact of that terrified her. But… if she could catch it, would she even have been able to stop it? Would it tear right into her just like it did that poor dead cashier behind them?

Kara fought the tears back that burned the back of her eyes and tightened her hold on Lena, allowing her glasses to slip down her nose so she could see unhindered. Her body was coiled tighter than a spring and she knew she would need some serious exercise later to work the energy off. Kara decided the worst part about her powers was she couldn’t hold Lena as tightly as she wanted to without hurting her. It felt like she was hardly even holding her she had to rein her strength in so much. It made her feel both too strong and too weak at the same time.

The few minutes that it took the DEO and emergency services to get there felt like the eons she spent in the phantom zone. She reluctantly relinquished her friend to the care of the paramedics but stayed within ten feet, her eyes and ears focusing on anything and everything in their immediate mile. A few minutes were spent talking to an officer to give a statement and soon Kara was climbing into the front of the ambulance that Lena had been loaded into. She had only paused long enough to let someone to wipe the blood off of her face.

 

* * *

 

Kara hated the hospital.

She hated the bright white walls. She hated the humming fluorescent lights. She hated the overwhelming smell of antiseptic and cleaning supplies. The mechanical sounds set her teeth on edge and the beeps of different machines made her ears hurt. What Kara hated the most was how small and pale Lena looked tucked into a hospital bed. They hadn’t even kept her overnight, but it took all of Kara’s willpower not to climb in that bed with her and shield her from the world. She knew Lena was strong and capable and more than independent enough to be able to take care of herself, but sometimes you just needed to be held. Kara had brought her back to her own apartment late that night after Lena had told her she was too tired to go home alone and face the paparazzi that had surely been camping out all day. She bundled her friend up in a pair of her comfiest sweats and a soft tee, put clean sheets on her bed, and made her some hot tea just the way she liked it. It was creeping on eleven when Kara changed into her pajamas and gathered up a pillow and blanket to curl up on the couch with.

“You can sleep here, y’know.”

Kara stopped in the doorway and turned back towards Lena who sitting up in her bed. She tried not to think about how much she liked seeing her there. She looked relaxed and mostly comfortable, her damp hair up in a loose messy bun and her eyes drooping with exhaustion.

“I don’t want to accidentally hit your arm.”

Lena scrunched her nose in a frown and her chin jutted out, the medicine for her arm slowing her speech a little. “Let me rephrase that. You’re going to hurt your back and there is enough room here for both of us.”

“But-“

“Get in the bed, Kara.”

Lena stared Kara down until she gave up with a grumble and tossed the pillow back onto the bed. “Wake me up if I hurt you and I’ll move.”

“I doubt you will. I’m on a very strong painkiller. Sorta strong? I don’t know but it’s working.“

Lena frowned a little harder and thought for a minute. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

Kara hummed in disapproval but slid in between the covers anyways. “Come on, lay down before you hurt that big brain of yours.”

“…if you want to go by the science, technically men have statistically larger brains by mass but brain size doesn’t correlate with one’s intelligence-“

“Lena.” Kara took her gently by the shoulders and leaned into her line of sight. “Less talking more sleeping. You need it.”

“…yeah okay.” She flopped down onto the bed. “Ow.”

Kara shook her head and turned the lights out.

Lena fell asleep fairly quickly after that, but Kara couldn’t get her mind to slow down. She lay there on her side, watching her friend sleep. At around one-thirty she got up and went into the living room to finally let out the tears that she had been holding in all day. It helped a little, but what really helped Kara was getting back into the warm bed, and curling up into Lena’s side.

They slept soundly through the night and Kara woke up with Lena lying half on top of her. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was dark hair and Lena’s peaceful face pressed into her chest. The next thing she noticed was the arm curled around her ribs and the bandage of white gauze wrapped around her bicep. Kara silently vowed to find whoever hurt her and rip their intestines out through their nostrils. She wouldn’t actually do that, but it made her feel better.

 

* * *

 

Over the next few days Kara volunteered herself to be Lena’s shadow outside of work. Not just as herself, but also as Supergirl when she couldn’t be. She knew it was getting on the CEO’s nerves by the second week so she backed off to let her breathe again. The time spent with Lena had Kara nearly hyper-fixating on everything around her and how she reacted. It wasn’t on purpose, but it was an odd side effect while she listened for anything that sounded suspicious in the surrounding square mile. Kara noticed that the of the icemaker in the freezer would sometimes make Lena’s head cock to the left. There were some sections of the hardwood that she would tiptoe over to avoid creaking them, and at some points Kara thought she looked like she was dancing. At one point Kara caught herself studying how white teeth chewed on a pink lip and had to stop and ask herself why she was choosing to focus on that. Did Lena know she had a freckle right in the center of her throat that was extremely distracting? Probably, but she noticed it. And how did she do that with her eyebrows-were they even supposed to arch that high?

“Lena, did you have a tongue ring?” The question slipped out one evening before she could stop it and Kara immediately shoved half of her slice of pizza in her face and tried to stamp down her blush.

“…I’m sorry?”

Kara shook her head and shrugged with her mouth obscenely full like her question didn’t matter and she picked her phone up to try to end the conversation before it began. She could feel Lena’s eyes boring into her for a long few seconds before turning away, and Kara _really_ wanted to kick herself. Kara policed her thoughts a little bit closer after that.

Three and a half weeks after the assassination attempt Kara was able finally relax. The DEO cornered the assailant and tracked down the arms dealer through them who had sold the high-caliber rifle and ammunition. The assassin was a decent marksman with not much neck and even less common sense. Luckily the arms dealer had only made a limited amount of the kryptonian-defying weapons on account of the amount of money and resources it cost to make a single bullet. They let Kara destroy the goods that weren’t impounded for research and she felt _that_ much better knowing that most of the items were gone for good. Even with that peace of mind, it still didn’t stop her from continuing to worry about her friend.

Lena was a pillar in her life that she had been missing for a long time and she was terrified of losing her so soon. Alex and Eliza had become irreplaceable, but Lena filled in a different section of the hole in her chest. A part of her still believed that she wasn’t good enough for any of them, but if this recent attempt on Lena’s life had been any indication it was that she needed them just as much as they needed her. It was comforting in the face of her abandonment and overwhelming loss to find another person that made her feel so wanted. It was still going to take some major mental unpacking, but Kara finally felt like she was finding her feet.

 

* * *

 

Kara perked up before her phone even went off but she forced herself to slow down to keep from cracking the screen. Again. It was a text that fed into her group chat with the super-friends, including Lucy who had found a way to find a station out of National City a few months before. Plus Lena (who had carefully wormed her way into all of their hearts and vice versa -- which made Kara _very_ happy to know that she now had more than one friend). She swiped across the screen and finished up the paragraph of her current article before reading.

 

_Lena_

_When is the next game night?_

 

Before she could check her calendar the indicator that someone was typing popped up.

 

_Winn_

_next week! Weds I think_

 

_Lena_

_So nothing’s on for this Friday?_

 

_Lucy_

_Ooo are we doing something?_

 

_Lena_

_We can!_

 

_Winn_

_james what was that fancy gala you and kara went to recently_

_wasn't that at like a cool trendy club or something_

_we should go dancing_

 

_Lucy_

_You don't dance winn_

 

_Winn_

_GIRL. Dont try me youll lose_

 

_James_

_Now youve done it lol_

 

Kara stifled her laughter and piped up in the conversation.

 

_Kara_

_It was called Surge. Pretty cool. Lots of blue neon. Super tasty drinks!_

 

_Winn_

_YEAH_

_lets go there_

_get our fitness on_

 

_Lucy_

_Get it fergie_

 

_Lena_

_Winn, would you like to show us your moves?_

 

_Winn_

_HELL yeah lets do it to it mizz luthor_

_dance off just us_

_dancing with the nerds_

_cascada said to evacuate the dance floor of you fools_

 

_Lena_

_Great, I’ll put us all on the list. Just let me know if you can’t make it. Winn, I’ll take you up on that challenge._

 

Kara shot off a couple dancing lady emojis and set her phone back down to let Winn and Lucy bombard the group thread with Fergie lyrics for a bit. It was only Monday, so Kara had plenty of time to prepare herself for their outing. It would be nice to go out and have fun with everyone for a little bit after how stressed they had all been the past few weeks. She just needed to make sure she really cracked down during the week so she wouldn’t feel too bad taking a few hours for herself. It _was_ something J’onn had been encouraging her to do every once in a while, but Kara had never felt the need to take advantage of that. Or felt like she was allowed to. This seemed like a good time to be reminded that she could take a short break.

The week did end up passing fairly quickly and Kara was scrambling in her underwear on Friday night frantically trying to find something to wear that wasn’t her regular sunny wardrobe. Why she felt the need to dress a little differently irked her but there was no time to be irked. Cardigans simply aren’t club-wear in any form or fashion as she painfully found out in college. Not to mention Alex would be arriving soon to pick her up and she really should be dressed by that time. She texted Lena.

_HELP WHAT DO I WEAR_

While she waited for a response Kara flipped through the back of her closet, glad that she had already fixed her hair and makeup. She paused on the small section of black that she had yet to throw out from her red kryptonite encounter, but decided that those were a little too much for now. She scooped her phone up as soon as it buzzed.

_Do you need me to come bring you something?_

_No! I just. Idk Lena_

A few responses were typed out and deleted before finally,

_Something glittery if you have it. Grey or black for your legs._

_Glitter. I can do that. THANK YOU SEE YOU SOON_

The poor phone landed with a gentle thump on her bed and she dug back into the clothing, extracting a shimmery sleeveless top and a plain black skirt that hit above her knees. By the time she was dressed and shoving her feet into her heels, Alex had let herself into the apartment with a whoop and a bemused Maggie in tow.

“Daaaamn little Danvers! Lookin’ hot!”

“Maggie, I didn’t know you were gonna make it!”

“Yeah well, I bugged Alex and Alex asked your gal pal nicely and I got my name squeezed in with you guys. So, this should be fun.” She waggled her brows and grinned crookedly, waiting nonchalantly by the open door with her hands on her hips.

Kara ignored the way heat crept up her neck at Maggie’s ribbing and shoved her phone and small wallet into her clutch, apartment key in hand.

“Most importantly, why are you wearing blue? This is your one night you don’t have to wear that color.”

“Lena said something glittery and this was the closest thing I had so-“

“ _Lena_ said?” Maggie’s grin grew more lopsided.

“Here.” Alex handed Kara a tampon and began walking back to the door.

“What?? Why can’t you hold your own? Ale-“

“No no no. There’s a plastic vial inside that has a shot of something from M’gann if you decide you want it. I talked to J’onn and he said it was fine.”

“I… oh. Thank you?”

“You’re welcome. Now let’s go! I’m ready to go see Winn and Miss CEO destroy my ability to form coherent thoughts with their terrible dancing.”

Kara couldn’t help her bark of laughter and slipped the little parcel into her clutch, even if she didn’t plan to drink it.

The journey to downtown was uneventful, and the taxi dropped them off in front of the club. The neon still washed blue over the sidewalk, and the bass still thrummed deep in Kara’s chest as it had the first time. A few groans of protest followed them as they bypassed the long line of club goers waiting to get in and flashed their ID’s to the same surly bouncers. They were checked off, stamped, and waved in past the velvet rope without incident. Once they were inside Maggie tugged them to the bar, made sure they each took at least two shots of something, and then let them have a drink to go before asking Kara discreetly where the rest of the group was.

Kara peered through the strobes and picked out Lucy and Winn about fifteen feet into the packed dance floor. Next, she spotted James and Lena, both cradling glasses of dark amber liquid, leaning up against the closest guardrail of the raised VIP section. She pointed their friends out and they began making their way up towards the open-backed stairs that led to James and Lena, shielding their drinks from dancing bodies. They flashed their IDs and got a second UV stamp on the inside of their wrist before being admitted into the raised ‘lounge’ of the club. Lena greeted them all warmly, a cheek bump for Alex and a handshake for Maggie and a quick hug for Kara.

“I’m glad you made it, James and I were starting to get a little lonely up here.”

“Ah well there was a wreck on…”

Kara stopped listening to Maggie as she went into detail over their traffic pattern and instead tried not to stare at Lena. All that Kara could tell was that her hair was down and she was wearing a deep red color with a lot of pale skin showing. _A lot._ She couldn’t help but observe that the neckline of the dress dipped low on Lena’s chest. Kara’s gaze traveled back up the slender column of Lena’s neck and followed the sharp curve of her jaw but she nearly jumped when she realized bright green eyes were watching her curiously. She grinned nervously and hid half her face behind her drink. Kara realized she really needed to figure out what was going on in her head, though she was pretty sure she had an idea. A scary one, and not a new feeling, but an idea nonetheless.

The conversation progressed away from bad traffic and the evening carried on smoothly after that, much to Kara’s relief. They spent their time cycling between the couches and the dance floor and Kara made sure to act like the alcohol was affecting her like everyone else. Lena and Winn had indeed held their dance-off, but Lucy won when she jokingly did her best impression of Elaine from Seinfeld. It wasn’t until close to midnight when Alex pulled her to the bathroom. Her sister was flushed and happy, a sight that Kara didn’t get to see too often. She let Alex drag her into the bright restroom, holding her clutch in her opposite hand. Alex made a point to sweep the stalls out of habit and when she was satisfied there wasn’t anyone in there who would bother them, she rounded on Kara with a growing smile.

“This is so fun! I haven’t done this since college!”

Kara couldn't help but smile back. “I don’t think I ever went but once or twice, I’m glad we could do this.”

“Me too! Hold that thought.” Alex went searching for a stall with toilet paper.

Kara touched up her makeup in the mirror and waited patiently for her sister to come back.

“Okay but yeah, I’m glad we could do this too. Maybe make it a quarterly thing.” Alex bounced back out of the stall and started washing her hands.

“Quarterly?” Kara laughed. “You sound like Lena.”

Alex quirked a brow at her and a smile played across her lips. “You’ve been talking about her a lot recently. Even before the… y’know.”

“I’m… well she’s my friend.” Kara tried to ignore the heat creeping up her neck.

“I know.” The knowing smile didn’t leave Alex’s face.

“I’ve just been worried about her, she’s gone through some bad things recently and I just want her to be okay!”

“Okay.”

“ _Alex._ ”

“You should have your drink.”

“I-what?”

“M’gann promised me that it was light. Something that’s similar to a liquor on Daxam. You should totally have it. I mean if you want to, you could always save it for later too.”

Kara narrowed her eyes a little but still had trouble keeping her face straight when her sister tried to brush her off and act nonchalant. “What are you playing at, you weirdo.”

“Nothing at all. Just wanting you to have a little fun.” She waggled her paper towel at her as she sidestepped to the door.

Kara dug into her clutch and pulled out the fake tampon, curiosity getting the better of her. “What is it exactly?”

“M’gann called it one of her “girlier” drinks. She thought you’d prefer that to the Aldebaran that _Mike_ gave you that one time.” Alex rolled her eyes a little.

Before Alex had finished her sentence, Kara had torn it open, pried off the little lid, and impatiently downed the drink in two swallows.

“…oh. Okay then.”

Kara licked her lips and frowned a little. “It’s sweeter than I was expecting.” She mumbled and neatly wrapped the tube up before disposing of it.

“Now what?”

“Now I go find Maggie and dance some more. You do you.”

Kara rolled her eyes and followed Alex back out of the washroom, deciding to go back out into the lounge and wait a few minutes to see what would happen. There were other people up in the VIP lounge by this time, and Kara squeezed around them to get back to the section they had staked out. James and Lucy were cuddled up on one of the low couches and Lena was leaning against the barrier watching the dance floor. Kara deposited her clutch on the table and scooped her half finished drink back up before wandering over to her friend’s side.

“There you are! I lost you for a second.”

“Alex just needed a bathroom buddy.” She shrugged and sipped her drink. The effects of whatever she had gulped down weren’t working yet.

Lena smiled into her drink. “Having fun?”

“Yeah! I haven’t gotten to go dancing in a long time. And it’s nice to get out.”

There was a brief pause and then Lena bumped Kara’s hip with her own. “You’ve been a wonderful friend to me, Miss Danvers. Especially these past couple weeks.”

Kara let herself sway a little from the hip-check and grinned, trying not to look at the still-healing scar on Lena’s upper arm. “But of course, Miss Luthor. What are friends for?”

They chatted a few more minutes and Kara knew the Daxamite alcohol was affecting her by that point. Her nose felt a little numb and tingly and her limbs felt almost a little elastic. She also was aware that she had at some point become gigglier and comfortable enough to lean into Lena’s side. It wasn’t until a particularly driving beat came on that that Kara felt good and warm. Lena set her empty glass down a little too hard on the table near where James and Lucy were still curled up together and turned back to Kara. Lena grabbed her hand and led her out of the lounge to the dance floor with an excited smile, and Kara briefly registered James and Lucy realizing in amusement that she wasn’t quite holding her “tipsy” act anymore-or didn’t really need to hold an act. It didn’t matter though because all she could focus on was the warm slender hand tucked into her own and the playful green eyes that led her deep into the mass of bodies.

Lena found them enough space, and with a carefree laugh that Kara hadn’t heard in a long time, let go a little bit. It was all thumping bass and flashing lights and upbeat happy vocals that made Kara grin and stretch her hands to the ceiling and just dance. She forgot about the stress of her job. She set the weight of Supergirl aside for just a few minutes and let go of the anxiety that had fallen into the cracks of her and Lena’s friendship. Kara just danced.

One song turned into two, turned into five, and Kara honestly wanted to just have a little more of whatever M’gann had sent her. She danced with and around Lena, making sure she didn’t get too close for comfort. It was more for her self-control than anything. Kara didn’t quite trust herself at the moment to be completely open with Lena. She didn’t want to make it awkward after the past few weeks and she didn’t want anything to be misinterpreted. Even when she wasn’t quite sober, Kara was still painfully aware of the mask she was supposed to be holding up.

Of course, her plan to leave room respectable enough for them was crushed when the DJ started to play more popular mixes and the dance floor filled up even more. Lena laughed and moved closer, her hands crawling around Kara’s ribs and sliding down to rest on her hips. Lena’s fingers curled tightly and the heat seeped into Kara’s skin. Her heart jumped into her throat and for the scariest second all she wanted to do was to lean down and kiss her - something Kara suspected that Lena wanted her to as well, with the way her eyes locked onto her lips. Somehow, somewhere on that dance floor, Kara had stepped over a small line and Lena had jumped with her. They danced tighter now, hips and chests brushing together with their faces closer than would be deemed friendly. Lightning crackled under Kara’s skin at every touch and she felt relaxed and safe, warm under Lena’s hands and piercing eyes. A sudden surge of emotion pulsed into her chest and Kara let her arms rest on Lena’s shoulders to move further into her space.

“Kara?”

Kara turned her head and dragged her lips up the line of Lena’s jaw, enjoying how she just smelled like _Lena_. She felt Lena’s breath hitch in her chest and her hands greedily crawled across her ribs, dipping into the small of her back and settling in the middle of her spine. Kara almost groaned when hot lips pressed into the crook of her neck and stayed there. They moved in a manner that might be considered dancing at this point, but Kara could only focus on how they were pressed together and Lena’s hot breath on her skin. She didn’t know when it had happened, but one of Lena’s thighs had slid in between her own, and it was taking most of her self-control to not press into it. A different kind of heat was curling deep in her belly, and Kara pressed her nose into dark hair with a small hope that she wouldn’t do anything too stupid. Or at least more stupid than she already was. She could hear Lena’s heartbeat thundering, and Kara wanted to press her lips to the pulse point under that defined jaw. She felt young and careless except for the fact that she had to keep remembering to check her strength.

Suddenly, something happened close by and people were jostled all around them. A few dancers bumped into them and Kara stumbled and caught Lena. A low frustrated growl ripped out of her throat and a more base need to slap the people who jolted her out of her bubble made her lip curl. She was about to turn around to see what was happening but Lena grabbed her by the waist and anchored her in the sea of bodies.

“You okay?”

Her voice was raspy and lower than normal and Kara really liked how her hands were pressed flat into her sides. Kara finally met her gaze and felt her stomach swoop when she noticed how dark Lena’s eyes were. Her lipstick was just a little smudged and Kara took guilty pleasure in the fact that she knew the rest of it was on her skin. She didn’t know how she would explain that to Alex, but she didn’t really care. She didn’t really care about a lot at that moment.

“Yeah. Are you?”

Lena nodded, her eyes flickering down to Kara’s mouth, to the light smudge on her neck and her teeth snagged her bottom lip, then back up to Kara’s parted lips. There was a pregnant pause in between them and if the situation had been different Kara might’ve let that little voice in her head take control, to lean forward and drop a kiss on the corner of her mouth. Kara swallowed thickly and resisted shifting her weight, her hands still resting on Lena’s shoulders from where she had steadied her. She didn’t want Lena to move her hands. The heat from her palms was enjoyably hot. To her disappointment, Lena reached up and rubbed away the mark on her neck before stepping back a couple inches.

“I could use another drink, how about you?”

Kara nodded weakly and let Lena lead them back out of the dance floor, wishing Alex had brought her two shots instead of the one. The rest of the night was going to be tricky.

 

* * *

 

The next time Kara saw Lena, it was a bit of an understatement of how embarrassed she felt about her behavior a few nights before. Lena easily noticed and pulled her aside, reassuring her that everything was okay and not to worry. Kara agreed only to make Lena think she was okay but she just wanted to sink through the floor. Or blast off into the stratosphere for a few hours. Either sounded better to Kara than sitting in Lena’s office pretending that nothing in her head had changed.

 _Everything_ had changed for Kara. Well. Not _everything_ , but definitely enough to scare the hell out of her.

It was still all so confusing-the Lena part, not the being attracted to women part-and the last thing she wanted to do was screw it up with feelings they maybe weren’t ready to address just yet. But their friendship carried on and Kara did her best to fall back into their old routine. It was more difficult than she was expecting when she was always so painfully aware of Lena. Most of her wanted to stay the way they were but a small growing part wanted to lay the CEO out on her own office couch and kiss her senseless. It resulted in a lot of second guessing her interactions and a lot more time spent with her head literally in the clouds mulling it all over in until she thought herself in circles about how she had fallen for her best friend.

No matter how much she tried to reason with herself that it was still just friendship, Kara caught herself looking more at Lena. She found herself standing closer, leaning towards her more. She personally enjoyed watching Lena’s hands fiddle with small mechanical prototypes or how her expressive brow gave away what she was thinking about sometimes. Kara also was very aware of when Lena touched her arm or hand. Not that she was counting seconds-but her touches lingered a bit longer than they used too. Frankly Kara was fine with that even if the heat from her hands drove her a little bit further down the hole she was falling into.

Their friendship wasn’t what Kara would call strained, but it was quite possibly on the cusp of something either very good… or very bad. Kara stamped down the negative thoughts and emotions that threatened to tug her under purely from her own insecurities. This time she made a reminder note in her phone to talk to Alex. If she couldn’t help shed some light then maybe she would know someone who could.

 

* * *

 

Kara honestly felt like she could wring Lena’s neck.

No matter how many times she asked and nearly begged as both Kara and Supergirl, the CEO refused to cancel the press conference amidst a surge of death threats. She still hadn’t really been able to speak with Lena about her getting hurt in the coffee shop and she was almost positive that her friend was stubbornly ignoring her about it. It frustrated her that she wasn’t able to talk to her about one thing that still ate away at her. Her anxiety ramped back up again, and even though she forced herself to continue to give Lena her space as Kara, she went back to shadowing her as Supergirl.

It wasn’t long before it was the morning of the event and Kara swore she cracked a tooth gritting her teeth so hard. She was a ball of tense nerves and had to work very hard to even keep her voice neutral when speaking to anyone. A few days ago, a new warning had been issued by Lena’s estranged half-brother, Lex, and he had made it abundantly clear that he thought she was a traitor by being on good terms with a Super. Kara had tried to talk to Lena about him, but she had been abruptly brushed off. It stung, but she knew that she wasn’t privileged to Lena’s life story. She had just hoped, as she normally did, that she could get her to trust her and open up. Kara knew she never really talked about any of it, and she knew better than anyone that bottling up that weight was harmful. But maybe one day Lena would. She could only hope.

Kara shoved her hands in the pockets of her slacks and rocked up nervously onto her toes, her large press pass hanging on a lanyard around her neck. She glanced around for the eighth time that minute, and chewed on her lip while checking her wristwatch again. Lena was still inside L-Corp and it was two minutes and thirty-three, thirty-two, thirty-one seconds until she was scheduled to leave the building and take the podium on the front steps. The press conference was to serve as an official announcement that L-Corp and Spheerical Industries would be forming a coalition to help push forward in the universal fight against cancer. It was some much needed positive press, and what better than to fuck it all up than a promise to murder one of them?

Kara huffed and checked her watch again. Two minutes and fifteen, fourteen, thirteen seconds.

“Kara, if you don’t calm down people are going to get suspicious of you.”

Kara shot a quick glare up at James as he stepped up next to her, a large black camera with a high-speed shutter was cradled in his hands.

“Sorry.” She grumbled, pulling the small notebook from her purse and flipping it open to a new page.

“I know you’re nervous, but it’s gonna be okay.”

Kara’s jaw jutted out as anger tinged with self-deprecation roiled uncomfortably through her chest. “Says you. The last time I was around Lena when she got hurt I was too slow to stop it. I was useless.”

James slumped slightly beside her but didn’t say anything. That incident had really torn Kara up and there wasn’t much any of them could do to help her feel better about it. They stood there quietly over the next minute before the press conference started. Kara began making notations on her notebook to prepare for her notes, and set her phone ready to record, while James double-checked the settings on his camera to make sure he took some print-worthy images. At eleven on the dot, the large glass doors opened and Lena Luthor stepped into the sun, dressed in an immaculate pencil skirt and deep crimson blouse. Kara could only sigh in annoyance at how brightly she had painted herself as a target. James squeezed her shoulder in reassurance and then was walking away; the quiet click of his shutter joined by at least thirty others. Lena stepped up to the podium with a pleasant smile and began after the polite applause died down.

“Good morning, and thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend today. I know we’re all busy so I’ll be quick, I promise.”

Her casual tone was met with a smattering of light laughs. Kara noted that even though it was a much better atmosphere than Lena’s previous public appearances, there was still a hum of apprehension in the air.

“It is common knowledge that L-Corp is dedicated to the advancement of technology and engineering to remain at the very edge of innovation. We are a company that takes pride in using our technology to better the lives of those in need on all socio-economic levels. That is why L-Corp has entered into a mutually beneficial coalition with Spheerical Industries to help focus on finding a permanent solution to surviving known cancers, and providing that technology readily to Oncologists globally.”

The applause was much more substantial this time, and the bright pop flashes of the press cameras were blinding for a moment.

“Unfortunately, my friend and colleague, Jack Spheer, CEO of Spheerical, was unable to join us today due to bad weather on the runway. However, we have a long working relationship and I am excited to get back into the lab with Mr. Spheer to bring about new advancements in medical technology.”

More applause, this time with energy behind them. Kara quickly scribbled her notes, her phone angled towards the podium. She bounced nervously on her toes and glanced around nonchalantly.

“I have a few minutes for questions.”

There was a clamor of voices as hands shot into the air to grab the CEO’s attention. The sudden movement made Kara jumpy and she ended the recording on her phone and tucked it and her notebook back into her purse to free her hands. She wound her way through the crowd and slid off to the side of the knot of interviewers, her eyes peeled and ears straining. She watched Lena answer a few questions, or try to, some of the answers were still either unknown or so wrapped up in legal red tape that the CEO could only shake her head and move to the next question.

“ _TRAITOR._ ”

The sudden shout was accompanied by four sharp cracks and the tense calm dissolved into panic. People screamed and began to scatter as police officers flooded the steps of L-Corp. Kara’s heart jumped into her throat and white-hot fear was acid in her throat. She easily slipped through the bodies and saw Lena getting hauled back away from the podium by James, her face pale and drawn. Kara bounded up the steps and put herself in between Lena and James and the shooter, planting her hands on their backs and shoving them back towards the glass doors. Right now her main focus was to keep Lena safe, Supergirl wasn’t needed at that moment while the law enforcement teams cleared the area and rooted out the assaulter.

The doors swung open and they tumbled into the huge marble foyer with some of the other reporters who had fled from the violence. Kara didn’t take her hand off Lena’s back, continuing to push her forward until they were all tucked away in a small conference room on the ground floor. The handful of other reporters, building staff, and some observers busied themselves with phone calls and nervously chattered to each other as a handful of officers secured the room and took up posts. Lena pulled away from Kara and stalked into a far corner, a hand on her hip and the other harshly pinching the bridge of her nose. Kara could hear her heart thundering and was worried at how shallow her breathing sounded, but she couldn’t smell the metallic tang of blood. She had dodged death again.

Kara paced over and gave Lena a once-over, her arms loose by her sides but hands open and ready. Just in case. She positioned herself directly in line with the door and Lena as well, shifting with Lena as she started to pace tightly in a small loop.

“ _I am fucking tired of getting shot at_ .” She hissed under her breath through clenched teeth. Her hand fell from her nose and Kara could see the terror and the anger etched into the lines of her face. She turned flinty eyes to Kara. “ _If you say ‘I told you so’ I might say something I regret.”_

Kara felt her brow fall and balled her lips over her teeth to keep her from snapping back and starting an argument with too many witnesses. She bit her words back and continued to shadow Lena, ignoring all of the warnings from her not to follow her every footstep. The shooter must have been caught quickly because soon the stragglers in the small conference room were having their statements taken and were led out of the building. James could tell that he wasn’t needed anymore, and told them to text him later if they needed him before heading back off to CatCo. Lena was finished before Kara and she had disappeared up the elevator to her office before Kara could stop her.

Not one to be deterred, Kara followed up after her and strode purposefully across the top floor of L-Corp. Lena’s assistant Jess saw her coming and was half out of the seat to stop her from entering the closed office when she noticed the steely look in Kara’s eyes. Her jaw audibly clicked shut and she sat back down to continue working on whatever task she had pulled up. Kara pushed through the glass door and walked a little too brusquely into the office and over to where Lena had just thrown back a healthy serving of scotch.

“Don’t say it, Kara.” She warned, setting the glass back down before kicking off her heels.

“Don’t say what, Lena? That I was right? That I had every right to be concerned?” The sharp words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, her anger finally starting to boil over.

Lena turned to Kara with a dangerous look in her eye and her mouth was set in stone. “I said _don’t_.”

Kara wanted to scream. She flexed her hands before balling them into fists and stormed right up into Lena’s space.

“When are you going to understand that it is in your best interest to stop tempting people who want to kill you?”

“When are you going to understand that the world isn’t all sunshine and daisies, Kara? People want me dead because of my name. They want me dead over crimes I never committed and lies I never told. They have for years. I can’t let that stop me from trying to live my life.”

“You could have _died_.”

“And the world would keep turning. I’m not that important.”

 _“Yes you are!”_ Kara shouted, throwing her hands up in the air in disbelief. “Why can’t you see that you are a lot more important than you think you are?”

 _To me._ She thought.

A dark cloud fell over Lena’s face and her scowl deepened before she started to walk away. Kara reached out and tried to catch her arm, but Lena slipped out of her grasp.

“I am very replaceable, Kara.” She muttered darkly.

“Lena, you’re being reckless. It’s like you’re trying to die. And I can’t-”

The CEO spun on her heel and surged forward into face, her face a mask of cold anger.

“Can’t what? Exactly? In case you haven’t noticed, Kara, my entire existence is a form of recklessness because it _has_ to be. I didn’t choose for it to be this way and yet it is. I’m just trying to do good in this world before I leave it. I took that leaf out of Supergirl’s book. You’re friends with her aren’t you? You should know that _very_ well.”

Kara opened and closed her mouth a few times, feeling like she had been punched in the chest. “Supergirl isn’t reckless!”

“Oh bull _shit_.”

“She’s not!”

“Well then what is she?”

The question took Kara off guard and her anger fell cold into the pit of her stomach. The fight bled out of her shoulders and Kara felt so small. Lena balked at the sudden change.

“Supergirl doesn’t think she deserves to have anyone. Or to be anything but what she is. An orphan from a planet that’s nothing but dust.”

The fight left Lena too, and her body slumped. “Kara-“

“You could have died today, Lena. You could have died and I can’t-I was so powerless. I just want you to be safe.” Her hands gestured feebly. “I don’t want to see you hurt again. I can’t…” She trailed off and fought back the tears that burned the back of her eyes.

Lena sighed sadly and stepped into Kara, winding her arms tightly around her ribs. Kara brought her arms up around Lena’s shoulders and pressed her face into dark hair, holding her as tightly as she dared.

“At least try to wear a protective vest next time.” She mumbled.

Lena didn’t say anything except hug her tighter.

 

* * *

 

A warm May rolled into a slightly toasty June and Kara made sure she soaked up every bit of sun she could get. Summer had always been her favorite ever since she landed on Earth. There was just something comforting about how warm the yellow sun was and how it always made her feel better. True to sisterly form, Alex teased her and called her a plant, to which Kara shrugged and joked that at least her leafy friends didn’t judge her. It also meant that she had to be a bit more careful of her powers. Growing up on Krypton during her formative years before being transplanted to earth meant that she didn’t have the foresight and control that her cousin did. She did lean more fully into her powers, trusting them easily and feeling less of a need to hold back when she didn’t need to. It drew comments from James periodically and he told her on a few occasions that if she wanted to, she could very easily be stronger than Clark. Kara tried not to let that compliment boost her ego too much.

The good thing about the warm weather was she had more excuses to visit Lena as Supergirl. The CEO enjoyed the warmer weather, but maybe not the sun as much as she did. In the evenings, when it was mild enough, the glass door to the balcony would be propped open in invitation, if she had the time. Kara might have been stopping by a little more than was necessary, but she rather enjoyed Lena’s company. And a few long _hypothetical_ talks with Alex (that drove the DEO agent up the wall because Kara wouldn’t say _who_ she was hard core crushing on-even though she ninety-percent knew) had helped her kind of figure out what was going on in her head.

It wasn’t just a misplaced infatuation like she had feared, which almost made it scarier. Somehow, without realizing it, Kara had started to fall into admiration over Lena. She wouldn’t call it love-she _did_ love her because she was one of her best friends. But she was hesitant to give that word a different meaning to them. Kara liked Lena. A lot. A lot more than just friends and it terrified her. She didn’t want to think about what would happen if Lena couldn’t-or wouldn’t-reciprocate the feeling. She didn’t want to lose her. So of course, like most of the weight she carried on her shoulders, she picked it up and tucked it away. Then channeled that disappointment and frustration into more creative and constructive uses. Sometimes the creative outlets were a little destructive to old buildings that needed to be demolished, but it helped. The only annoying thing about that was sometimes the concrete dust would be a bit hard to wash out of her hair.

It was late after one of those “creative” days that Kara floated lazily above downtown National City, slowly stretching out her shoulders and listening to the life below as people went out or fell into bed. She hadn’t had much to do with crime that week and she was beginning to feel a little bit antsy. The demolition jobs definitely helped, but Kara was in the mood for a good throw-down. She grumbled and carefully brushed stray bits of dust and concrete from her skirt, wishing that she had put on spare DEO fatigues before crunching through those buildings.

_“Kara-“_

Kara stopped in surprise. She felt her mouth fall open as she turned towards the direction of Lena’s building. Lena whispering her name sent her stomach into loops and heat crept up her neck. Just because she was saying her name didn’t _mean_ anything - right?

Of course, as predicted, Kara let her curiosity get the better of her. It didn’t take her but a moment to zip over to the penthouse and she peered in, obviously not thinking. She should have used her brain a little bit more.

Lena was _not_ asleep.

Kara’s x-ray vision had never snapped back into her head so fast in her life, a jumble of English and Kryptonian curses crowding out of her mouth.

“ _Ohfuckshitfuckfuck-“_

Kara’s face matched her cape and a mix of panic and something that felt a lot like arousal slammed into her so hard she dropped a few feet in the air. She needed to get out of there and she needed to get out of their _fast_. She garbled out something about the annoyance of the concrete dust for the sake of Winn on the other side of her earpiece, even though she knew she had already raised suspicions, and rocketed out of there and directly towards the harbor. The sounds of Lena’s breathless moans and her name falling from her mouth chased her all the way to the surface of the bay. Cool water crashed over her head and Kara dove down far enough that she twisted and let her back thump into the sediment forty meters down.

Lena had whispered her name, and it most definitely meant something.

Kara decided she was screwed.

 

* * *

 

Later that night when she went to return the ruined earpiece, she nonchalantly told J’onn that she felt like she could help clean up the bay of wreckage and pollution, and that she would get in touch with the city council. He could only shake his head as she squelched away.

 

* * *

 

Of course, that incident was all Kara could think about, and she often got stuck in loops of should she or should she not forget it. Which, unfortunately, was a distraction no matter how hard she tried to put it off to the side. Kara forced herself not to check on Lena at night for fear of invading her privacy again, though she found it extremely difficult to act like she hadn’t heard (and seen) something she wasn’t supposed to. It was either one-hundred percent focused on the task at hand or one hundred percent mind in the gutter, there was no in between. Kara did her best to make sure that her lapses in concentration came at times when she could afford to let her mind wander, but trying her best didn’t always meant she succeeded.

It didn’t help that she could really tell that Lena’s hands were lingering longer on her shoulder or at the small of her back, or that she was bolder in taking her hand to lead her around. It _especially_ didn’t help that she knew what those hands had been doing while Lena gasped her name into existence. Every time she remembered the arch of her back and the strain of her neck, Kara fought down a blush and tried not to think about what it would be like to make that happen with her own hands.

Kara tried to act like nothing was wrong, but she could tell that Lena was suspicious of her all the same. She made up excuses about her job being stressful - which it was - she just didn’t specify which job. Kara could also tell that J’onn and Alex and Agent Vasquez were getting annoyed with how spacey she was being when she camped out in the DEO. She began to get frustrated with herself for letting her mind get away from her, and it bubbled over into being more defensive when confronted about it. And maybe punching a little too hard on some of the more resilient aliens when they caused trouble. A particularly nasty fight had gotten her a couple days of suspension unless she was absolutely needed, as well as a talking-to from Alex even though she would have rather chucked herself in the bay again.

So, to keep herself out of trouble, Kara traded her Supersuit for a fun neon-patterned wetsuit and continued to help clean the Bay up with the City Council’s approval. She dove down and lifted out wreckage and junk that had sunk to the bottom, piling it up on the provided barge from the Harbor Master. After she had found most of the large debris she moved on to floating garbage and trash, trawling the water carefully and rescuing wild life when it got in the way. While she did enjoy helping contribute to keeping National City’s ecosystem healthy, she found it frustrating to feel the need to take a dive at night when she didn’t expect it.

Kara understood that Lena was a young, warm-blooded woman that had urges like most everyone on the planet. She did. She really did. She was like that too. But it was painfully unfair and incredibly distracting to be able to hear your name moaned at least once a week and not being able to do anything about it. Normal people didn’t have to put up with this sort of torture but no. Kara Zor El, the last daughter of Krypton, just _had_ to have super hearing that was fond of tuning in to the subject of her affection at the most inappropriate times. She felt nervous, being able to hear Lena so vulnerable, even though she worked to block it from her attention. It wasn’t her place.

But at least the Bay was cleaner than it had been in decades.

 

* * *

 

“ _Supergirl, if you aren’t busy, may I speak to you please.”_

Kara tilted her head, checked around her for a moment, and then made her way across National City to the balcony leading into Lena’s office at the top of L Corp. Her boots hit the concrete with a gentle thump, and her steady stride through the propped open door helped mask the nervousness that bubbled up in her belly whenever she was around Lena now.

“Good evening, Miss Luthor.”

The CEO looked up around her piled of paperwork and gave her a crooked smile. “So formal, Supergirl.”

Kara couldn’t hold in her light laugh and resisted the urge to prop her hands up on her hips in her stiff superhero pose. “Good evening, Lena.” She corrected.

“Come in, do you have a few minutes to spare? I’d like to go over security for the upcoming conference we’re hosting with our new partner, Spheerical Industries.”

“Of course, I can spare a few minutes.”

Kara float-hopped over the back of the couch and settled easily into the cushions, turning her attention to the amused CEO.

“I wish I could do that. Is it nice to be weightless?”

Kara fought to keep her face pleasant and tried not to think of the crushing burden that came with her powers. “I’ll float you around some time.”

Lena only arched a brow teasingly and set aside the empty lowball glass she had been drinking out of before Kara arrived. Realizing how flirty her light-hearted offer had sounded, Kara blushed hotly and cleared her throat nervously.

“So, um. What kind of security detail will you be employing?”

They spent the next twenty-five minutes hashing out security, number of exits around the building and out of the neighborhood, how many emergency vehicles could be spared, what Kara’s capabilities were, and if needed could she provide local law enforcement some government assistance and information if there were any current threats running about. All in all, Lena had come fairly prepared already to their spur of the moment meeting and Kara half wondered if she was really needed. She toyed with the hem of her skirt and chewed her lip, trying to pick out her next train of thought.

“Well I think I have most everything now, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule.” Lena shuffled the papers back into a folder.

Kara nodded enthusiastically, “Oh! It was no problem. It’s my job to keep National City and its residents safe, and it’s the least I can do for a friend.”

Lena cocked her head to the side and gave her a teasing look. “We’re friends?”

Kara stood, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. “ _Ha ha.”_

Lena smiled to herself. “You’re a fun one to tease. But you’re my friend too, so thank you for all of your hard work and for keeping me safe.”

Kara relaxed and couldn’t help the grin that crept across her face. “It’s what I do.”

They just smiled at each other dorkily for a moment until Lena’s phone buzzed with new emails and broke them out of their bubble. Kara picked up the water glass she had been using and was on her way to replacing it at the small wet bar on the opposite side of the room when Lena stopped her, almost completely engrossed in her email.

“Oh, I’m sorry to be a bother but would you mind pouring me some more of that single malt while you’re up?”

“Yeah! No problem.”

Kara scooped up the lowball glass and took it over to the counter. After depositing her glass to the side Kara splashed in a healthy dram of the dark amber scotch from the faceted decanter, added a few drops of purified water, and gave it a good controlled swirl. Lastly, she reached into the small freezer and picked out one of the fresher looking spheres of ice, carefully placing the large ball of frozen water into the glass.

“I’d put a little orange peel in here but I don’t think you have any.”

She brought the new drink back to Lena, who was now watching her with an unreadable expression. Kara set it down near her hand and took a step back, only then realizing that she had made Lena’s drink almost the way she liked it without asking. Supergirl didn’t know how to fix Lena Luthor’s drink of choice.

But Kara Danvers did.

Kara stamped down the sudden urge to blow out of the office and never come back. She had just unintentionally given Lena a glaring clue about who she really was and she could just kick herself.

“Right! So, um. There you are, and I’ll be on my way. Goodnight, Miss Luthor.”

Kara smiled tightly and turned on her heel, almost stepping into Mach-one as soon as she was out on the balcony. As she left she could hear the clink of the ice in the glass as Lena picked it up and feel the CEO’s eyes burning a hole into her back.

 

* * *

 

Later that night her concentration was broken at an incredibly inopportune time against a very unusual opponent that somehow put a damper on her powers. She had been fighting some kind of hulking thing at a construction site on the south side of town when a breathless, pleading whisper of her name cut through the adrenaline of her fight. Kara balked, unfortunately right before a Mack truck hit her square in the face. The pain was blinding and Kara was very unused to the cartilage snapping in the bridge of her nose. She nearly gagged on the blood running down her face and the back of her throat, but she managed to trick it into a tight corner where she could bend a handful of steel I-beams around it.

Once she got back to the DEO that evening Alex spoke to her quietly in the med bay.

“I’m worried about you.” She muttered quietly.

“What? Why? I’m fine! Just a little blood, I’ll be back to normal tomorrow-“

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.” Alex paused in cleaning her up and gave her a steely look that clearly meant for her to shut up and listen.

Kara deflated and slouched, failing to successfully hide her pout at the talk she was about to receive. Alex sighed and went back to wiping up her sister’s face before inspecting the slightly crooked nose. There were dark bruises beginning to form under Kara’s eyes as well and even with her fast healing they both new she’d have them for a day or so.

“Kara, I don’t know what has you all tied up, but you need to figure it out before you get yourself hurt worse. Worse than you did tonight.”

Kara failed to meet her gaze.

“Are you in trouble?”

Kara shook her head minutely.

“Hmmm. Was someone mean to you? Do I need to go kick their ass?”

Kara laughed, then grimaced when pain lanced across her face.

“Okay but really.” Alex paused again. “What’s wrong?”

The grimace dropped off Kara’s face and a worried frown took its place. She told Alex everything, but she didn’t know why she was having such a hard time now.

“I…I might be falling for someone. For-for one of my friends.”

Alex inhaled deeply and her mouth fell into a noncommittal tight line. Her eyes wandered around the medical bay in thought for a few seconds that felt like a lifetime to Kara. “Do I know this person?”

Kara nodded, her hands twisting in the corner of her cape.

Alex looked back at her sister and cupped her face, studying her nose as she turned her head gently from side to side. “Will you tell me who it is?”

Kara didn’t answer but she shrugged almost in defeat, her eyes staying glued to her clenched hands in her lap. In fact, she was sure that Alex already knew who she was talking about. She could feel the panic starting to claw at the back of her throat and she felt like she was at the top of a roller coaster, teetering on the edge of a drop.

Alex sighed again and moved her thumbs to either side of Kara’s nose. “Hang on, this is gonna sting a bit.”

The audible _snap_ was nearly drowned out by a slew of English and Kryptonian curses as Alex popped the bridge of Kara’s nose back into alignment. Kara groaned and gingerly touched her abused nose. Alex batted her hand away and deftly applied a small plaster brace over the fracture. She let her sister whine and watched her blow her freeze breath onto a spare rag before holding it carefully to her face while she cleaned up.

“Kara, please tell me who it is so I can stop worrying?”

Kara only shook her head, her face still covered by the frosted rag. Alex paused, deciding on exactly how she wanted to approach their conversation.

“I think I know who’s distracting you. Know _her,_ more specifically.”

Kara mumbled pitifully through her rag. “Are you mad?”

The tension went out of Alex’s body and she threw her gloves into the biohazard bin before making her way back over to Kara and rested her hands on her knees. “No, of course not, Kara. I’m not mad.”

Kara leaned forward pitifully until her head rested on Alex’s shoulder, feeling better when her sister wrapped her arms around her shoulders.

“I just don’t know what to do.”

 

* * *

 

When Kara met up with Lena early the following morning for coffee she was still sporting the plaster over her nose and matching faint purple bruises under her eyes.

“ _Oh my god._ Kara what happened?”

“I got hit in the face with a toy truck.”

Lena frowned and reached up, cupping Kara’s face in her hands and inspected her injured nose. “Well that kid got you pretty good.”

“He got put into time out, and I’ll heal. I just have to remember to be careful for a couple days.”

Kara fought down the blush that crawled up her neck when cool fingertips gently brushed the bruise under her left eye. A teasing grin flashed across Lena’s face.

“You only need to ask if you want me to kiss it better.”

Kara rolled her eyes to humor her, but knew Lena was only half joking.

 

* * *

 

The following Saturday night was quiet yet Kara found herself patrolling the area of Downtown that Lena’s penthouse was located in. She had tried to stay out of the area-unless she had to be there-for as long as necessary, but her will had begun to crumble. She was like a moth to Lena’s flame and she was so close to letting herself crash into her it was painful. Kara had felt attraction before, but it had never been backed by a strong friendship and (hopefully) reciprocated feelings. True, she was _technically_ only twenty-five, but every minute she wasn’t around Lena felt like a lifetime. Kara accepted the fact that she was being a total drama queen.

But at least her nose had healed up fine, and Alex had encouraged her to try to talk to Lena before she got it broken again. Kara told her she couldn’t promise that but she would try.

So there she was, a big flying chicken.

She had gotten there early enough to - in a _very_ clichéd manner - come out to Lena. First as Supergirl, and then with her attraction to her. But her nerves got the better of her. Instead of touching down onto the balcony off of Lena’s living room and knocking on her door, Kara stayed frozen a couple hundred feet above. She drifted there, listening to her friend work quietly in her home office before puttering through her nightly routine and climbing into bed at half past twelve. Kara knew she should leave. She knew she shouldn’t be listening in on her friend and betraying her trust, so she turned and started focusing her attention somewhere else. And then she heard Lena turn over and grumble out a sigh.

Kara balked again and stilled, curiosity and worry getting the better of her, but she didn’t dare turn her eyes down. Her brain screamed at her to _scram_ , to get the hell out of there and stop intruding.

She heard faint movement, a breathless moan of acceptance. Then a soft quiet sound that made the blood rush into Kara’s face in realizaiton. She dug her hands into her hair at her temples and closed her eyes, unable to tear herself away, as she listened to that soft wet sound become more prominent, and swallowed thickly at the way that Lena’s breath hitched into her lungs unevenly.

It was creepy and voyeuristic and _god_ she was really in trouble and needed to leave _now_.

She had turned her back to the apartment when a thought slammed into her chest. Her eyes flew open and she stared out across National City.

Lena most likely knew _who_ she was. She wasn’t stupid.

Lena knew that Supergirl could hear her quite easily.

Right? She wasn’t overthinking this was she? Well, sure she was. Right.

If Lena was as smart as Kara thought she was, then her identity should have been confirmed when she met with her and fixed that damned drink. All of their more recent interactions began to fall into place. Lena’s lingering touches and looks from the past few weeks suddenly made so much more sense and Kara wondered how she could be so thick headed sometimes.

So, _if_ Lena knew Kara was probably listening in on her, then Lena _wanted_ her to listen. _If_ she knew.

...Right?

Kara was definitely over thinking this and she should just fly away. She should just turn and not look back and go sit at the bottom of the ocean until she was needed.

A gasp caught her ear and the coiling knot in her belly pulled painfully tight and Kara was two seconds away from abandoning her post to bury her head in the ground. Kara bit her lip and kept her breathing steady, trying not to give away to Winn through her earpiece that something was affecting her. Unfortunately she knew that the monitor they had on her vitals was probably going haywire, but hoped that Alex would chalk it up to her being an idiot and scrub the record. Kara spun slowly, suspended in mid air between her growing recklessness and common sense.

She needed to leave. She needed to leave. She needed-

Kara turned and looked down. And then abruptly looked away.

She bit back a curse and quietly covered her mouth with one of her hands.

Kara got lost in the sound of Lena’s heartbeat, and the sight of how the muscles in her throat had contracted when she gasped rooted her to the spot. Kara couldn’t move. She wanted so badly to put her mouth on the soft planes of the stomach that she had caught a glimpse of. Kara heard Lena twist her free hand in her sleep shorts on her hip as the motions of her hand started to get a little frantic. Kara bit her lip and stayed as still as she could, ignoring how her cape wrapped awkwardly around her body in the breeze and tried to reel her sense back in, pinching her arm harshly. It didn’t work. Suddenly, Lena was shifting and a strangled _Kara_ tumbled from her lips. A soft moan rattled Kara and she squeezed her eyes shut to try to block out how Lena’s breath froze in her chest as she came against her hand. Kara swallowed down a whimper that would have been picked up by her earpiece and slumped in a small loss of composure when Lena fell back onto her bed out of breath.

Kara finally, painfully, tore her attention away from one of the most tempting displays she had ever witnessed and exhaled loudly, pulling her hair up off the back of her neck and looking around without actually seeing. Guilt burned in the form of hot tears at the back of her eyes and her throat tightened. She shouldn’t have done that. It wasn’t right. Kara could feel every stitch of her supersuit on her heated skin, and decided that she was going to need a cold shower when she got home. Her mind was a fog and her fingers itched to do something about the nearly uncomfortable heat in between her legs. But the reason _why_ made her disgusted with herself and she locked her hands tighter at the back of her head. Kara decided that she really should figure out how to work up the courage to talk to Lena, and hopefully sooner rather than later. Hopefully before she did something else she regretted.

 

* * *

 

 

Kara did indeed take an icy shower when she got home after two am that night, eyes red from guilt.

 

* * *

 

The following Thursday Kara heard Lena a little after one in the morning, all soft sighs and quiet moans. She immediately blocked it out. She refused to let herself listen in on her best friend like that again. Once was a big enough intrusion of trust, and that was still one time too many even if it had been a split-second partial accident before that. She had still stayed and Kara couldn’t shake the guilt and self deprecation that ate away at her chest. When she got home that night her shower was freezing but it didn’t even make a dent in the aching want that had permanently settled into her hips. Kara blew her breath out in frustration and turned the water warmer. She closed her eyes and let her hand slip between her legs, guiltily thinking of pale skin and freckles.

It didn’t help much and Kara felt even more disappointed in herself.

 

* * *

 

July was sweltering and Kara was a ball of tension. The heat had made some of the fugitives they still hadn’t caught more ornery and rambunctious, creating some issues for the DEO. The only good thing about the attacks was that Kara finally got to work off some of her steam. Her friendship with Lena was becoming riddled with more awkward moments peppered with lingering looks and Kara found that they had both become more tactile. Their hands would brush if they walked side by side, knees would knock together when they sat. Kara found that Lena liked to lean into her when they shared a laugh and she couldn’t help but bury her nose into her hair when they hugged tightly. Kara relished the full body contact from their hugs and was trying to commit the feel of Lena pressed against her to memory. They still had to be careful though, for Lena’s sake. She had been working hard on cleaning up her public image after the Cadmus debacle and the last thing she needed was for tabloids to smear her about who she fancied.

August was tough.

That’s the best way Kara could describe it. Her job was harder, the fights as Supergirl were harder, and her friendship with Lena became harder to navigate. On more than one occasion as both Kara and Supergirl, she found herself resting or napping in Lena’s office. It was public knowledge that Lena was friends with both her as just Kara the Reporter and just Supergirl, and she had to wonder what strings she pulled with the press to keep photos of her snoozing in her red and blue on her office couch from circulating. Her assistant, Jess, gracefully took it in stride, and even started leaving out an extra throw blanket if Kara wanted it. Kara had to make sure she tucked herself in really well if she wasn’t in her uniform, because she had a habit of floating while she slept if she was stressed enough. Kara figured the DEO didn’t want to be visiting Lena and her staff with a stack of NDA forms.

Finally, towards the end of the month her extra work as Supergirl let up and Kara was able to start getting at least six hours of sleep a night again. The most torturous part through that entire ordeal was that she could still hear Lena briefly in the small hours before she busied herself with distractions, and she still couldn't find her motivation to talk to her about her feelings. Maggie had figured it all out as well, quite quickly in fact. So not only did she have Alex gently prodding her every once in a while to just _spit it out_ , she now had the spunky National City Detective giving her shit about it when she knew she could get away with her teasing. The game nights were becoming increasingly awkward as well, when they could actually hold them. Maggie would not so subtly find ways to pair Lena and Kara up or at the very least make them sit near each other. Kara didn’t know why her sister’s girlfriend was being such a butt about all of it and she was almost suspicious enough to ask. She had a feeling there was a bet going and that annoyed her further.

The topic of the club had come up again in the group chat (Winn demanded a dancing rematch from Lucy so he could show off to the new girl he was dating) and Lena admitted that she needed a night to act like the young millennial she was _supposed_ to be. That comment had made Kara remember how young Lena really was - a year younger than her - and then it reminded her how old she was too. Well, not counting the near two and a half decades she spent in the Phantom Zone that nearly drove her to the brink of hysteria. They all had the weight of the world on their shoulders in some way. Kara had piped up at that point expressing interest as well, and so a tentative group-get together had been planned. It took at least a week for everyone to try to find a day that would work, but finally a Saturday night opened up, and the reservations were made.

Kara took initiative and texted M’gann a few days in advance, and bought three shots of the alcohol she had been given on their last outing. She also met with J’onn and made sure that he knew she was intent on being a semi-responsible idiot and to not put her on active duty for that night. He had stifled a deep chuckle and told her that he would fill in for her on the condition that she run through some refresher tactical training with him the following week. Kara quickly decided that it was a fair trade and made him shake on it.

The chosen Saturday arrived and she didn’t shy away from the small section of black in her closet this time. Kara picked out an indecently tight black dress with lines that cut high on her thigh, deep on her shoulders exposing her back, and dipped low on her chest. She wrangled her hair into a sleek French twist to keep it up off her shoulders and had a little fun with her makeup since she rarely had time to do that. If there was anything to be said for that terrible experience with the Red Kryptonite, it was that it opened up her wardrobe a little more. She did love her cardigans, but she had always wanted a little black dress that would only work on certain occasions. And she also maybe secretly hoped that she would get to do more undercover missions in the future that would require a more interesting wardrobe. If J’onn let her. There was nothing wrong with her wanting to have a little fun on missions every once in a while. Kara was just slipping on her black heels when Alex and Maggie let themselves into her apartment with some playful drumming knocks.

“Oi little Danvers! Are you re-holy shit, girl.” Maggie stopped in her tracks and gave her a once over, a knowing smirk creeping across her face.

“Wow, that is… something.” Alex frowned slightly in surprise as she shut the door behind them.

“We have some plans tonight?” Maggie waggled her eyebrows and sidled further into the apartment with her hands in her pockets.

Kara rolled her eyes and adjusted her glasses, stepping around the Detective and walking over to the far cabinet in her kitchen. She pulled out a bottle of barely drunk vodka and some shot glasses and lined them up on the bar. “How about one for the road?”

Maggie picked up one of the fake tampons lying next to her clutch on the counter and held it out. “Make it two and I’m game.”

“Everything okay, Kara?” Alex asked, taking the full shot glass from Kara.

“I got the night off, I’m going to drink and dance my face off.” She looked at Alex over her glasses. “You don’t need to babysit me, I’ll be okay. I promise.”

Alex’s face softened and she smiled. “I know. But I still have your back.”

“And I have yours. Cheers.”

They threw back their first, and then their second with Kara substituting in hers for one of the sweeter tasting purchases from M’gann. She scooped up the remaining two into her clutch and followed Maggie and Alex out to the cab waiting for them, locking the door to her apartment tight. Adrenaline buzzed through her veins as they drew closer to the club, and Kara felt her drink start to blur the edges of her stress. The arrived in no time and tumbled out onto the sidewalk as the bass beat pulsed dully out of the sleek neon club. They got through the door without any incident, and as soon as they entered the building Kara tuned in to Lena. She pinpointed the sound of her voice immediately across the building in the VIP lounge, and Kara would have gone straight there had Alex not linked their arms and dragged them to the bar. She grumbled but relented, started a tab and helped Maggie carry the multiple shots across the packed club and up into the raised lounge.

Kara nearly melted in her shoes when she finally saw Lena. She was all sleek black silk and leather and a lot of fair skin. Her dark hair had been swept up into a ponytail tight on the sides with some volume lifting off the top, and Kara could have sworn between that and the leather and the dark eye makeup that she was looking at a more close-to-heart version of Lena. Her ears were filled with piercings she rarely wore and Kara swallowed hard at the new-to-her flash of metal in her tongue. Kara forced her legs into motion again and followed after Maggie and Alex, careful not to bump into anyone and spill the drinks in her hands.

They were met with cheers and warm greetings from Lena, James, and Lucy, Winn and his new date apparently still on their way. Shots were passed out and raised together before thrown back and burned down throats. Maggie took the two stragglers and gave one to Lena and the other to Kara with a subtle wink before pulling Alex out onto the dance floor. Kara laughed a little nervously and turned toward her friend, biting down on her lip to keep from saying something stupid when she met bright green eyes.

“I guess you didn’t need any help dressing yourself tonight?” Lena teased and downed the alcohol in one large swallow.

Kara cleared her throat and watched the muscles in Lena’s neck work for a long second before downing her own with a small grimace. The old memory of her pale skin on dark bed sheets flashed across the back of her eyelids and she almost physically shook herself out of the intrusion. Kara stamped the guilt down again.

“No, I was able to manage this time.” She joked and set the empty shot glass on the table.

“I’m glad to hear that Kara Danvers is capable of dressing herself for a night out without help.” Lena grinned and picked up her cocktail.

Bolstered by the friendly banter and the alien alcohol starting to take hold, Kara leaned in with a flirty smile. “I’m capable of many things, Lena Luthor.”

Lena’s laugh was music to her ears and a balm on her heart.

The night pressed on, full of dancing and joking and singing along loudly and badly to a few of the more popular hits the DJ played. Winn showed up with his date and immediately challenged Lucy to rematch - which began rather impressively and ended in both of them doing their best Elaine impression. His date took it in stride and got along well with Lucy, so Kara was able to just watch from a distance and give most of her attention to Lena. They talked about everything and nothing, complaining about mundane things and the current political climate. No topic was safe once Lena got a few whiskey sours in her and Kara was content to just sit and listen and express her own opinions when she felt necessary.

That’s how they found themselves about an hour and a half later. Kara felt rather warm and loose after downing the two remaining shots in her purse and her nose was pleasantly numb and her mouth quick to smile. They had all crammed into the low couches or surrounding chairs where they were available around the other VIP tenants, and were enjoying their time together. Kara was wedged into one of the couches on the end, and Lena was nearly sitting on top of her, glued to her left side. Her arm was curled around Lena’s back and resting on the top of the couch, her hand cupping her shoulder and her thumb absentmindedly brushing over soft skin. Their thighs and sides fit together like puzzle pieces and their crossed legs brushed together. Kara was feeling a little bit overheated but she didn’t want Lena to move and was enjoying their closeness.

The group dynamic changed when a few of them decided to get up and go dance again as another popular song came on and Kara watched them go, thumb still sliding softly over Lena’s bare shoulder. Lena paused for a minute before leaning forward as if she meant to get up. Kara let go of her and let her hand slide down her back to her waist with a pout, her chin jutting out comically. Lena noticed and suddenly her eyes lowered to Kara’s mouth and a dangerously playful smile tugged at her dark red lips. She twisted and leaned back towards Kara, dragging the tip of her nose across her cheek - much like Kara had done to her - before whispering lowly in her ear.

“ _How many times are you going to listen to me come before you do something about it? I’d much, much rather that they be your hands than mine. A girl can get bored.”_

Heat surged into Kara and she was suddenly a bit more alert. Her heart leapt into her throat and the coiling knot that had been behaving twisted low in her abdomen. Her hold on Lena’s waist tightened a bit, easily pulling her flush to her side. Lena brought her hand up and planted it squarely in the center of Kara’s chest to balance herself against the sudden shift, her warm hand branding Kara’s skin.

 

Lena had deliberately stepped over the line that Kara had been so cautiously toeing - clearly now for no reason other than miscommunication - and she finally felt a burden lift off her shoulders. The guilt that had been eating her alive suddenly felt so insignificant and silly, and Kara felt like she could cry with relief. She had been right. Lena had been teasing her in hopes of catching her attention. Kara kicked herself for the millionth time for not ponying up and asking Lena in the first place, or even telling her she was Supergirl. What reassured her the most was she didn’t feel an ounce of apprehension or anger in Lena’s layered confession. Kara set the dregs of her drink aside and left her now free hand, chilly from the ice, hook onto Lena’s knee.

“ _How many more times will you let me?”_ She asked boldy, playing Lena’s game now and letting her lips brush the shell of her ear as new confidence roared through Kara’s veins.

Kara felt Lena laugh throatily and loosened her hold just a bit for Lena to pull back. “I’ll answer that question later.”

Kara raised a bold brow and adjusted her glasses, “Hopefully not too much later, if that’s alright with you. A girl can get bored.” She parroted with a grin, proud of herself for not slurring her speech _too_ much.

“ _Ugh_ you’re such a nerd.” Lena scrunched her nose at the mannerism and propped her elbow up on the back of the couch. “Bring me whatever form you need me to sign on Monday. But I do have to ask, why didn’t you tell me? Other than of course, my brother tried to kill your cousin, my mother tried to kill you-“

Kara checked around them quickly and then leaned forward quickly and cut Lena off with a soft kiss. She was warm and soft and smelled like home. It didn’t last more than a second or two and Kara fell back into the couch with a blush, Lena slightly flabbergasted.

“Oh.” She breathed.

“I… was afraid. I trusted you, but I’m pretty paranoid. And kind of a wimp sometimes and I know _I know_ it wasn’t fair for me not to tell you after everything that’s happened… I hope you aren’t mad…?”

Lena shook her head gently, the crease between her brows appearing for just a moment. “No. I mean, I _was_. But after thinking rationally I felt that it wasn’t my place to confront you over it. Not when that knowledge held so much weight. Or so many lives. The best thing I could do for you, as someone who cares deeply for you, was to make sure that I helped keep that information safe. To keep you safe.” Lena’s hand left her sternum and tucked an escaped stray lock of hair behind Kara’s ear.

“That’s incredibly sweet, and you were so much more mature about all of this than I was.” Kara leaned her cheek into Lena’s palm, smiling again.

 

“I wouldn’t say mature. Just, scared, I guess.”

 

“Me too.” Kara couldn’t hide the knowing grin any longer, peering at Lena over her glasses. “But not scared enough to inappropriately tease me instead?”

The serious tone to Lena’s demeanor quickly fell away, glad that Kara was keeping their conversation light. Her brow quirked in response and her eyes wandered down to Kara’s mouth again. “How else was I supposed to clue you in?”

Kara laughed at Lena’s attitude. “Oh I don’t know, leave me a clue?”

“A _clue_ ? I left you plenty! Should I start calling you Blues Clues? You do wear a _lot_ of blue.”

“I will disown you.” Her eyes fell to Lena’s mouth. “But that would mean I wouldn’t get to kiss you again. And I’d _really_ like to kiss you again _right now_ but there are too many cameras.”

“Well then let’s just put this on pause and go dance for a bit. Work some of that energy out.”

Kara laughed at Lena’s little shoulder shimmy and agreed, somehow getting out of the low couch without hurting anything. As they were walking across the lounge Kara leaned down,

“How long have you known?”

Lena smirked and said a single word.

“Golly.”

Kara groaned in disbelief and slouched into Lena’s side, earning herself another low laugh.

“To be completely fair, I was sure but not certain. Only until you fixed my drink that night did I know.”

“Betrayed by the scotch whiskey.”

Lena laced her fingers through Kara’s before pulling her into the writhing dance floor with a look that made fire lick into her chest. “Quite the opposite, I think.”

There was no barrier between them anymore, and they danced as close as they dared. The bass of the music vibrated in Kara’s chest and she was glad that her senses had been dulled from the alcohol. It made it easier to focus on how Lena was pressed into her and how nice that felt. Fingers tangled together and hips rocked to the beat as they tried to get closer and closer as the songs blew by. They found themselves in the center of the floor where it was dim, packed with people, where no one was paying attention to them, and it was easy to get away with bold touches. Kara was genuinely having fun dancing with Lena and being able to hold her close. She could tell Lena was too by the way there was a constant pull of amusement from the corner of her mouth.

Kara was brought out of her haze when Lena suddenly flexed her hands around her ribs and her fingers dug in tightly. She bumped her nose against Lena’s temple and tried to pull back to see what was wrong, but she was held firm. It was then that Kara realized that her left thigh had gotten sandwiched in between Lena’s legs and they were pressed indecently close. _Really close_. The reason for Lena not letting go dawned on her and she put her arms around Lena’s neck to hide their faces.

“We’re in the middle of a club, y’know.” She called just loud enough over the music for Lena to hear her.

Lena just turned and hid her face further into Kara’s neck and groaned as they continued to rock to the beat.

“ _Don’t care._ ”

Kara looked around briefly and slid one had down Lena’s side and anchored it in the small of her back. It was all the encouragement Lena needed and they continued to rock. The people around them remained oblivious but Kara kept an eye and ear out all the same, pushing through the effects of the alcohol just for a few minutes. Just for Lena. She was nearly distracted a couple times when clawed fingers scratched down her back so she retaliated by flexing the muscle in her thigh and pulling Lena’s hips in with more force. She knew she was trying not to be obvious but the soft breathy moans that got muffled into the side of her neck were a wonderful incentive. Lena’s heartbeat was going wild and her breath was hot on Kara’s clavicle. She could feel the heat pooling in between her own legs, but she was more intent on making sure Lena got what she wanted – _needed_ – from her first. Kara could feel her hips starting to get jerkier and Lena pressed her face in the crook of her neck, the bridge of her nose hard against her collar bone. Kara pressed her lips to the shell her ear, almost mouthing the piercings there.

“ _I have you_.”

Kara felt Lena’s brow furrow and knew she was right on the edge when she rocked into her thigh _hard_. Lena inhaled deeply and let out a quiet high moan that got lost in the music.

“ _Kara-“_

Lena’s hips jolted into her and her breath froze in her lungs as she came undone on Kara’s thigh. Her fingers were almost painful in Kara’s back but she didn’t care. Kara held her tightly and continued to rock to the music as Lena became pliant stone against her, still giving the illusion that they were just dancing. It took a long moment, but then Lena relaxed into her, gasping for breath and mouthing hot kisses into Kara’s neck. Kara couldn’t help but hum in pleasure at the feel of her mouth on her and rubbed her hand up and down Lena’s back discreetly, still partially obscuring their faces with the other arm around Lena’s shoulders.

Lena turned her head and curled an arm around Kara’s neck to pull her into a hungry kiss. Kara kissed her back and they were all teeth and tongue and tasting of whiskey sours. She couldn’t help the low growl that rumbled out of her chest when Lena’s teeth caught her lip and bit down with enough force to send another jolt of adrenaline and excitement through her. Kara pressed forward and licked into her mouth, pressing her hips firmly into Lena. It must have been a needy enough kiss because Lena pulled away barely an inch and caught her breath. Her lipstick was starting to smear and Kara knew she was probably sporting some of it too. Kara unabashedly watched her lick her lips. Lena gave her a look with glazed dark eyes that made Kara feel like she was about to be eaten alive and honestly she was okay with that.

Neither one of them said a word, but Lena took her tightly by the hand and pulled them back out of the dance floor, still a little wobbly in the knees. Kara could see the rest of their friends over by the bar but she quickly lost interest when Lena pulled her back up into the VIP lounge and into the back hall. She was about to ask where they were going but Lena pushed open the door to the washrooms and checked inside. She quickly turned back to her and rubbed the corner of her mouth, trying to hide some of the evidence if only for a moment. Kara could hear a few women inside and her nose was assaulted with too expensive perfume and the very obvious smell of pot. They slipped into the hazy room and the group of loud women didn’t pay them any attention. Lena pulled them quickly around the corner and into the small hall of dressing rooms, passing another oblivious couple on the way. Her grip was a vice on Kara’s hand and she was half tempted to just pick her feet up and let Lena pull her along behind her like a big balloon… but that would require a shitload of paperwork and it would put an immediate halt on their evening.

Lena guided her into the dressing room on the very end and locked the stall door behind them. Kara couldn’t even get a syllable out before she was pressed into her again, kissing her fiercely. Kara couldn’t touch enough of Lena and was nearly overwhelmed once all of the noises and distractions from the floor of the club were reduced to a dull thump of bass. Lena was _everywhere_ and Kara was putty in her hands. She bit back a moan when Lena kissed down her neck, trying to suck hickies into her skin that wouldn’t last for more than a moment. Her back hit the far wall of the small dressing room and Kara still felt like she could just float away. Lena came back up to her mouth and kissed her hard before panting into her mouth.

“ _Now, Kara, darling. I’m going to need you to try to be quiet.”_

Kara could only nod weakly, and chased after Lena’s lips greedily. She stopped fighting against the buzz of the alcohol and let her self relax back into Lena, humming lowly into her mouth. Lena kissed back down her neck and didn't stop there. She trailed hot wet kisses down Kara’s sternum before dropping to her knees with a wicked look. Kara watched her almost in awe as she raised a single finger to her lips in a hushing motion, and then slid her hands up under the hem of Kara’s dress.

A slew of very quiet Kryptonian curses hissed between them as Lena’s hands crawled up, bringing the fabric of her dress with them, and hooked into the low waistband of her underwear. She tugged the damp fabric down Kara’s toned thighs in one smooth movement, the hem of her dress just barely covering her. Lena continued to watch her carefully, her green eyes peering up at her in the dimly lit dressing room. Kara wrapped her hands around the back of her neck tightly and nodded clumsily. Lena slid her warm hands back up Kara’s legs and leaned in, leaving lipstick on the inside of her thighs. Kara sighed and swallowed an impatient plea of encouragement for her to hurry up, but she didn’t have to wait long.

“ _Fuck-_ “

Her gasp slipped out when Lena’s tongue ran through her slick center, leaving fire in her wake. Kara quickly clapped a hand over her mouth and tried not to grind down into Lena’s mouth. Kara’s skin felt like it was burning, even more so where she could feel Lena. She nearly cried out when a studded tongue rolled purposefully over her clit and Kara felt herself grow wetter, hear head feeling lighter at each touch. And then Lena’s tongue was there, licking and massaging and twisting inside her in a way that made her knees buckle. Or would have buckled if she hadn’t started floating. Kara had to uncover her mouth and instinctively reached behind her head with both hands to try to hold onto something but just ended up digging her fingers into the drywall. Kara’s breathless gasps and the quiet crunching sound of her hands ruining the dressing room wall were thankfully covered up by the muffled bass and laughter of the women on the other side of the bathroom.

Lena hooked her hands around Kara’s slowly rising hips and her chuckle was lost against Kara. The vibration of her voice made Kara’s eyes roll back in her head at the unexpected sensation and she rolled her hips into her mouth, greedily searching for that feeling again. All Kara could focus on at that point was Lena’s mouth on her and the quickly mounting pressure low in her belly. Kara held on for as long as she could, wanting to extend the time of Lena’s tongue on and in her. She was doing fine until Lena moved and pulled her swollen clit into her mouth and sucked so hard Kara swore she saw spots on the edge of her vision. Lena didn’t move from there and Kara most certainly wasn’t able to last but another few seconds. The pressure coiled almost painfully and Kara muffled her moan into her bicep as white exploded into her vision and she came hard against Lena’s mouth. All she could feel was heat and Lena still sucking on her, drawing out that delicious pull of pleasure for as long as she could. Kara’s breath left her lungs and her mind was wiped blissfully blank, her hips opening up and arching into the hot mouth that was still tasting her.

Eventually she came back to reality, sucking in deep breaths, and she watched in a daze as Lena licked her clean and dropped kisses on the thighs resting on her shoulders. Her lipstick was everywhere except her lips and Kara thought she was the most beautiful person she had ever seen. After she had caught her breath for a moment, panting like she had run a marathon, Lena pulled her underwear back up her legs and readjusted the hem of her dress. Kara pried her hands from the drywall and tugged Lena easily to her feet, bringing her in for a sloppy kiss to try to express her gratitude and the crushing amount of affection she had towards her. It was almost weird tasting herself on Lena’s lips but Kara found that she just didn’t care. Lena leaned bodily into her and whispered lowly into her mouth.

“Do you want to get out of here?”

Kara could only nod and kiss her again.

The rest of their night was a blur. Kara vaguely remembered sneaking back out of the washrooms and back out into the lounge to collect her clutch. They had somehow made it out of the club without running into their friends and Kara later found a garbled text to Alex saying that she and Lena left to go find food. She didn’t remember the cab ride but she did remember dipping her fingers into Lena on the long elevator ride up to her apartment. Kara remembered nearly ripping her own dress off and she remembered kissing every freckle she could find on Lena’s body. The rest was a tangle of limbs and sex and cuddling and then repeating it all over again. Kara didn’t remember falling asleep but she did remember how warm and safe she had felt lying on Lena’s chest listening to her heart.

 

* * *

 

Kara didn’t wake up until it was close to eleven in the morning, still wrapped tightly around Lena and her face buried in her neck. Her body was slightly sore in the best way and her limbs felt light and like jelly all at the same time. She cracked an eye open and could make out the line of Lena’s jaw and wild dark hair, and barely any of the bedroom behind a fairly large pillow. Lena must have felt her wake up, because she breathed in deeply and let out a long sigh through her nose. She turned her face and kissed the top of Kara’s head warmly.

“G’morning.” She mumbled sleepily, turning and curling around Kara.

“Mmmhhhh.” Was all Kara could manage and she closed her eyes again, wrapping her arms around Lena’s ribs and drawing comfort from the warm bare body against her.

They dozed a few more minutes until they were interrupted by Kara’s growling stomach and Lena couldn’t help but laugh sleepily. She disentangled herself from Kara just enough to kiss her on the forehead.

“How are you feeling?” She murmured, her green eyes still filled with sleep, dark eye makeup still smudged on her skin.

A genuine smile crept slowly across Kara’s face as Lena brushed her blond waves over her shoulder.

“Thirsty. Amazing. How are you?”

Lena matched her smile. “I feel pretty great too.”

Kara couldn’t help herself and she leaned over and kissed her, despite Lena’s weak complaints of morning breath. They laid there and just enjoyed each other for a few minutes. Soon Kara’s smile got the better of her and she rested her head back on the pillow.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” Lena parroted.

“Lena Luthor, will you go out on a date with me?”

Lena smile happily at that and leaned down for another kiss, cradling her face.

“I most certainly will, Kara Danvers.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Well, first time writing for this ship so I hope I didn't mangle them too badly lol.
> 
> Short playlist to go with it:  
> Bad Decisions, Ariana Grande  
> Chameleon, PNAU  
> Vroom Vroom, Charli XCX  
> Go Bang, PNAU  
> I Got It, Charlie XCX/Brooke Candi/Cupcakke  
> Into You, Ariana Grande  
> I Don't Care, Ariana Grande
> 
> Find some art I spent too much time on for this on my tumblr, BigMammaLlama5.
> 
> I wanna give a very special shout out to my friend, Heather, for putting up with my bad writing.
> 
> Thanks yall!


End file.
